Today's Evangelism: Counterfeit or Genuine?

by Gordon H. Clark

Perhaps never before in the history of the Church has there been so much attention paid to evangelism. But are the messages that are being preached today the Evangel? Or have we substituted method for message, and church growth for growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ? In this penetrating look at today's evangelism, theologian and philosopher Gordon H. Clark finds that much evangelism in the twentieth century, particularly the more spectacular sort using mass meetings, radio, and television, has garbled the message that Christ commanded the Church to teach. The result has been spectacular church growth and an alarming reduction in the knowledge of Christianity among the "converts." The effect, if not the goal, of today's evangelism seems to be more and more people learning less and less about Christianity, until everyone knows nothing of the truth that saves. Clark analyzes the problem and offers a solution: a return to what the Bible has to say about evangelism.

Genres: Theology

152 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1990

About the author

Gordon Haddon Clark was an American philosopher and Calvinist theologian. He was a primary advocate for the idea of presuppositional apologetics and was chairman of the Philosophy Department at Butler University for 28 years. He was an expert in pre-Socratic and ancient philosophy and was noted for his rigor in defending propositional revelation against all forms of empiricism and rationalism, in arguing that all truth is propositional and in applying the laws of logic. His system of philosophy is sometimes called Scripturalism.

The Trinty Foundation continues to publish his writings.

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

SOME PROVOCATIVE OPINIONS FROM A FAMED CALVINIST PHILOSOPHER/APOLOGIST

Gordon Haddon Clark (1902-1985) was an American philosopher and Calvinist theologian, who was chairman of the Philosophy Department at Butler University for 28 years.

He provides the interesting autobiographical detail: "At the end of the Billy Sunday campaign in 1915 our church received into its membership over a hundred persons. I myself was one of them... I do not mean to be antagonistic to Billy Sunday. I believe he really did some good. But I know that had he not come to town, I would have nonetheless professed faith in Christ and become a church member." (Pg. 8-9)

He wrote, "camp meetings, evangelistic extravaganzas, strong insistence on personal experience have largely been recommended as the proper reaction to 'dead orthodoxy.' There is so little orthodoxy today that I wonder whether perhaps even dead orthodoxy might not be preferred to living heresy." (Pg. 27)

He asserts, "In these days particularly... a strong emphasis on the intellect is necessary." (Pg. 43) Later, he argues that "there is a feeling of assurance that is not real assurance. Just because a person believes that he is saved is an insufficient reason for thinking that he is saved." (Pg. 91)

More controversially, he wrote, "Billy Graham, when in Indianapolis, spent ten minutes attacking Presbyterian doctrine. He told his audience that it was useless to pray for the people who had come forward in response to his invitation. Not even God could help them. They could only rely on their own will." (Pg. 48) About Charles Finney, he opines, "Now, anything Finney did or said is suspect, or worse. He was a disaster. Years and decades after his evangelistic campaigns he was still preventing men from believing the Gospel." (Pg. 59)

While one may not necessarily agree with all of Clark's opinions, he makes some provocative and challenging comments.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

With his usual precision, Clark undertakes to explain the deficiencies of contemporary understandings of evangelism and replace them with a Biblical understanding. The book is a wonderful defense of the thesis that "preaching the Gospel" is "preaching the whole counsel of God"--not in one sermon, of course, but neither in principle omitting or truncating any portion of Scriptural doctrine from preaching.

On an additional note. . .as someone who has read most, if not all, of Clark's published works, I think this book has some interesting explanations that throw light upon some of Clark's views. I don't think there is a great deal new in this book that Clark hadn't said elsewhere, but perhaps a few things are stated more forcefully, or perhaps more explicitly.

To use but one example, Clark is quite explicit that infants, invalids, and other special classes of humans with mental differences from the normal adult are not saved by believing Biblical propositions to be true, which Clark claims is essential to faith. Two quotes to substantiate my reading of Clark:

"But since the Gospel cannot penetrate the mind of an infant or the no-mind of an idiot, God in mercy treats them as exceptions to the normal rule and saves them, on the basis of Christ's sacrifice indeed, but without faith."

He then quotes the WCF 10:3, and concludes:

"The Reformed position therefore makes understanding an essential part of faith, even at the cost of denying that infants can believe." (pg. 212 in the newer edition of the book published along with another of Clark's books, Sanctification, and entitled, "What is the Christian Life?")

While Clark elsewhere speaks of faith as requiring understanding, I don't recall him linking it to the so-called exceptional cases of infants and invalids elsewhere.

[Brett Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the quotes from other evangelists very informative. Especially from Billy Graham where he had said it is useless to pray for anyone who came forward as God couldn't save them only their own will can. Very much reveals the Pelagian position of Graham and anyone who has read the Bible would immediately see how flawed it is. Which is the point Clark makes throughout the book much of modern evangelism has lost its Biblical basis and instead has veered off into a man-made gospel of self will. But he also pointed out how even the Biblical terms we use do not mean the same thing to nearly everyone as they have been ingrained with redefined terms that have no biblical basis. Book is definitely worth reading.

[Chris Comis · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay. Not one of Clark's best.